Wildflower - Beardtongue

With this spring's weather being a hot/dry May and a cool/wet June, the neighborhood wildflowers are reacting differently than in past years. This year there is an abundance of Beardtongue (Penstamon digitalis) in the fields. Beardtongue grows 2-4 feet tall in fields and the white stalks of flowers stand out against the background of green grass.



The Beardtongue flowers are named for the tuft of hairs on one of the stamens that lies on the bottom of the inside of the tubular flower, and looks a bit like a hairy tongue.

Young Turkeys

I got my first glimpse of some of this year's young turkey poults (chicks). I happened to see an adult hen turkey try to hide in some short grass and after a few minutes she started to walk away and revealed some very small poults.



As the turkeys approached some brush, many of the small poults (about the size of a robin) took to flight and landed in the bushes. The hen remained in the field and continued to walk along the edge of the field softly calling to the poults.



I was able stand 20 to 30 yards from the hen for about 20 minutes as she gathered the young poults. At one point one of the poults flew out of the bushes and flew within 15 feet of me before landing in the field. Eventually the hen collected her young ones and calmly walked over a knoll and out of sight.

Fawns, they grow so quick

I found this pair of fawns behind our barn. The wobbly legged fawns of a couple of weeks ago are now seen out in the open fields with their mothers and bouncing around like coiled springs. The mother calmly grazes as the fawns kick up their heels (hooves) and test their legs.



After a strenuous workout it's time for a quick drink.

Buzzards

While driving to our cabin I found group of turkey buzzards (Cathartes aura), also known as turkey vultures, perched on fence posts along the driveway. Groups of perched vultures are called a wake. In flight, a flock of vultures is a kettle.

Turkey buzzards are very often seen perched with their wings spread after rain storms and dewy mornings to dry their wings and hereby gain lift for take offs.



This guy stayed around after his friends left to watch me. We have a few buzzards that return each year and hang around our barn to use the silo as a perch.

Baltimore Checkerspot Caterpillar

While looking in the fields near our cabin for fawns, I found my first Baltimore Checkerspot caterpillar for this year. This caterpillar may look mean, but it is harmless. This caterpillar will soon turn into the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly, the state butterfly of Maryland, and hopefully I'll be able to get some photos of it.

Feed Me !!!

A few days ago, this huge mouth was just one of four blue eggs in a nest.



Today the small nest is full of hungry redwing blackbird chicks.



The parents of the chicks weren't happy that I found the nest and "dive bombed" me several times while I was taking the family photo.

Bullfrogs

I was at our cabin pond checking on the young geese and found this American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) guarding his territory near the edge of the pond. The Bullfrog is the largest frog in North America with the females growing larger than the males and up to eight inches. Bullfrogs are most active at night and are voracious eaters that will eat just about any thing they can swallow. Bullfrogs have a deep, loud call which can be heard throughout the neighborhood on quiet nights.

Spring Deer

The neighborhood deer have shed their winter coats and are taking advantage of the tender grass.



While the spring grass is plentiful, so are the flies.



This yearling buck's first set of antlers are developing quickly.

Luna Moth

I found this luna moth (Actias luna) on our the entrance door to our garage one morning. The luna moth has a wingspan of up to 4.5 inches, making it one of the largest moths in North America.

Femal luna moths lay 400-600 eggs, 4–7 eggs at a time, on the underside of leaves, and they incubate for eight to thirteen days. In the northeastern United States the moths produce two generations each year. The first of these appear in April and May, and the second group can be nine to eleven weeks later.

Wildflowers - Daisy

The wild daises (Leucanthemum vulgare) are starting to bloom and the neighborhood is showing patches of bright white in fields and along the roadside.

The daisy is native to Europe and an introduced plant to North America via gardens into natural areas where it is now a common weed. In some areas it is an invasive species forming dense colonies displacing native plants.



A close-up view of a bee on the center of a daisy.

Spring Fawns

This year's fawns are being born and I found this young fawn on our cabin property a couple of days ago. The fawn was only a day or two old and still had wobbly legs. In a couple of days the fawn will be bouncing around.



I spent a few hours walking around some of our fields and found this little guy curled up in the tall grass.



While I took photos the fawn lifted its head and watched me for a couple of minutes.



The fawns will try to stay motionless, but it is hard to do when you have a fly on your nose.

Friends

I never know what I'll find as I drive around the neighborhood so I always try to have a camera with me. As I drove through our cabin property I saw this deer near our driveway with its friend, a redwing blackbird on its head.



As I watched, the bird would move back and forth from the deer's head to its back as the deer continued to graze.



The deer made no attempt to shake off the bird and even folded its ears down for the bird.



This may be a symbiotic relationship in which the bird removes insects from the deer. The deer gets rid of the bugs and the bird gets a meal.

Matt & Alexandra's Wedding

On May 31st, 2015, our son Matthew Beebe and Alexandra Zill (Lexie) were married on a hilltop vista on our property.



Lexie, Matt and Colby.



Lexie and her Dad.



Matt & Lexie arrive at the reception in his classic Porsche.



The new Mr. & Mrs.



The best man, Chuck Beebe, toasting his brother.



Time for the wedding cake.



The reception was held in our barn and Matt & Lexie were still dancing at the end of the day.

Young Buck

The warm spring weather has triggered this young buck's antlers to start growing and a small rack is now visible. He is also shedding his winter coat for a cooler summer coat.

Goose Crossing

Stopped at our cabin today and was glad to see the geese were using the designated crossing area.